Mrs Hudson's Day Off
by Lamplighter1890
Summary: Martha Hudson has her hands full seeing after Holmes and Watson, so how does our hard-working friend enjoy some free time? Well, by getting caught up in a crime drama of her own! This tale is a little peek into who Martha Hudson is and what can happen when you go out for a nice quiet cup of tea. The story is almost done so new chapters will be published regularly!
1. Chapter 1 Tea Time

Chapter 1

Tea Time

It took Mrs. Hudson two days to clean up her house on Baker Street after the "accident." The Fire Brigade came out of course, as the neighbors had sent word, but they really had no duty to perform because the fire itself was very small. The smoke, however, well that is a different story, as the plume of dark and noxious smoke that issued forth from Sherlock's upstairs flat was both panic-inducing and superior to its cousins produced by London's factories.

The smell that remained was like an annoying relative who comes to visit and cannot be dislodged without considerable effort. Still, after two days of open windows and a warm potpourri of vanilla extract simmering almost non-stop, the house had returned to a level of olfactory normalcy that suited Mrs. Hudson.

Mr. Holmes was at fault of course; it was another one of his chemical experiments gone awry. He was eccentric before, but now, since the Doctor had gotten married and moved on to live with his new wife, he had become increasingly difficult. Doctor Watson had proven to be an amazing counter to the detective's peculiarities and brought a genteel courtesy and rationality to the world of Mr. Holmes. But, now, the Doctor was busy with patients, and instead of catching criminals, he had become concerned with the fulfillment of Mary Watson's dreams and desires.

Sherlock Holmes was again alone with his experiments, and Mrs. Hudson suspected that he was lonely, or at least he missed the Doctor much more than he let on.

Today, Mr. Holmes had left for Devon, and to his great delight, Doctor Watson was free to accompany him. He had informed Mrs. Hudson that he did not plan on returning to Baker Street until late on the morrow. Thus, with the house aired out and the small mess cleaned up, Martha Hudson decided to meet a friend for tea and perhaps a walk in the park.

The walk to Marylebone Street, then eastward past the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and on to the small tea shop across from Regent's Park was pleasant, and Martha wished that it took longer as she enjoyed the quiet. Not that the streets were quiet, on the contrary, as Marylebone was a bustling, cab choked, affair with people of all sorts running and hustling about. No, the noise was very typical of any main thoroughfare in London, as the din raised by the crowds of people, horses, steel-rimmed coach wheels on stone, hawkers, buskers, street girls, teamsters and deliverymen, all providing the city with a never-ending backdrop of sound.

Mrs. Hudson paid no attention to the background noise of London's residents. She was enjoying the quiet of anonymity: a state that allowed one to be alone while in the middle of a great party. But reflective moments like this were always too short - aren't they? And before she knew it, Martha Hudson was approaching "Regent Park Tea Shop."

"Martha!"

Mrs. Hudson immediately recognized her friend Ellie, who was standing outside the tea shop and was waving a handkerchief so enthusiastically one could have interpreted her actions as an attempt to surrender. Martha returned her greeting with a smile and a reserved wave.

"Here you are my dear!" said Ellie with a hug and a kiss.

"Ah, so good to see you Ellie, and looking as beautiful as ever," returned Mrs. Hudson, who modestly returned her friend's embrace.

"Mmmm still as enthusiastic as a lady's maid I see," smirked Ellie. Then she opened the door to the tea shop and followed her good friend Martha inside.

Mrs. Ellie Buckley was a friend whose family had been close with Mrs. Hudson's family since their parents were children. Martha had stood up with Ellie as her Maid of Honor when she married her husband, Phillip, who sadly was lost at sea when his ship sank en route from Dublin. Theirs was a dark fate now, as Ellie and Martha were bound by both friendship and their shared status as widows; cast into roles they were too young to play.

The two women had not seen each other for some months, and discussing family news was the first order of business. But it was always covered too quickly, as neither woman had children, Martha's parents were dead, and she was an only child, and Ellie's brother Edward lived in America, and her mother had moved in with Ellie's Aunt in Leeds.

Ellie was her best friend and in many respects her only family, so perhaps that was why their meetings were so bittersweet, as seeing each other was a reminder of how alone they were. Maybe that was why they didn't see each other more often.


	2. Chapter 2 A Nice Quiet Walk

Chapter 2

A Nice Quiet Walk

They finished their tea and walked across to Regent's Park when Ellie broached the topic she was most interested in hearing about.

"So, Martha, tell me what has your lodger Mr. Holmes been up to lately?"

Mrs. Hudson shot Ellie a sideways look and an accompanying smirk in response. Ellie thought it must be so exhilarating to have the great Sherlock Holmes living in your home, she simply could not imagine that there were drawbacks.

"Oh, he has been up to his usual shenanigans… just this week he tried to burn down the house - again - with one of his experiments."

"But Martha, all of England reads and follows his exploits! And he is right under your roof; certainly, there must be some element of excitement in this situation for you?" asked Ellie, hoping for a small anecdote about life with the famous detective.

"Let's sit on this bench, and I will share a bit more about life with Sherlock Holmes," and the two women sat down on a park bench in the shade of a Foxglove tree. They noticed the gentleman sitting on a bench opposite who appeared to have been feeding the birds as a few pigeons still pecked at crumbs scattered about the walk.

"My dear Ellie, living at Baker Street with Mr. Holmes is never a dull affair. There are constantly people ringing at all hours to engage him, or else bringing him information, or evidence, or on occasion, a threat or two."

Of course, this was not the first time Ellie had asked about Mr. Holmes, but she was fascinated by every little piece of information that Martha was willing to part with.

Martha was giving Ellie an example when she looked across at the gentleman bird-feeder. He had failed to great them, which was odd for a gentleman. He certainly did not look comfortable in the position he was sitting, with his head down resting on his chest and his legs outstretched as if he was in a hammock. Was he sleeping?

"Sir…Sir… are you alright?" asked Martha.

Ellie, oblivious to the gentlemen, looked from her friend across to the gentleman.

"I wonder if he is ill because he does not look as if he is asleep," said Mrs. Hudson to no one in particular.

Martha stood up and slowly walked over to the gentleman bird-feeder. He was nicely dressed but was not wearing the quality clothing of a gentleman. She thought that he might be a merchant or a solicitor. The closer she got to him, the more anxious she became, as her instincts told her that something was not right.

She stood next to the man and reached out, placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.

"Sir, I say, are you alright?"

And with that gentle shake, the gentleman bird-feeder started to slump over towards Martha who quickly responded by pushing against his shoulder in an attempt to keep him upright on the bench.

"Oh my, oh my! Sir…Sir!… Ellie come help me quickly!"

Ellie hurried over to the bench, and the two women managed to push the gentleman back upright into a sitting position; however, as they finished completing their task the gentleman's head lolled back so that he was looking straight up into the branches of the Foxglove tree. His hat fell harmlessly onto the grass and mud behind the bench.

He was eyes-wide-open, unblinking and fixed, with mouth open in a silent scream. He wasn't breathing.

"Good Lord!" exclaimed Ellie.

"Oh no, I don't believe that he is sleeping, Ellie."

"What do we do Martha?" replied Mrs. Buckley.

"We need to get some help…" said Martha as she cast her gaze around the park. Then she saw a couple of boys running a kite across the park lawn.

"Hello! Boys! Hello!" shouted Martha, while waving frantically at the two lads.

Then Martha heard an ear-piercing whistle and saw Ellie with two fingers in her mouth. She removed them, smiled at Martha and smoothed the front of her dress as if her hand needed to return to a more familiar task as an apology.

That certainly got the young lads attention, and they came running towards the two women and the seated gent who was most definitely not sleeping.

"Yes ma'am" the taller boy responded in a huff-and-puff voice.

"My boy, please run out to Marylebone Street and find a constable and bring him back here immediately. This gentleman here needs assistance" stand Mrs. Hudson with calm authority.

"He looks dead missus."

The two women looked at each other, then Martha handed the boys each a ha'penny for their trouble and sent them off at a run.

"Should we stay here and wait?"

Martha paused before she replied, and she thought a comment: what would Mr. Holmes do if he was here?

"Let's see if we can help the police and save them some time" replied Mrs. Hudson.

"First, let's see if we can find out who he is," stated Martha as she positioned herself next to the bench, just off to the dead gentleman's outstretched legs. She began to reach for his inside breast coat pocket when she noticed his white starched collar was marked-up and was out of place, while his tie was twisted and off to the side of his neck. She paused and looked closer, and saw that there was a thin line of discoloration around his neck, partially hidden by his upturned collar. She reached into the front breast pocket of his coat, felt a wallet, slowly removed it and opened it.

"Good Lord, there's over 50 pounds here… two gentleman's cards with different names… a pawn shop receipt… and two train tickets."

"Train tickets - where to?" prodded Ellie, suddenly less distressed by the dead man before her as she had been bitten by the curiosity bug.

"Nottingham…out of St. Pancras Station at 4:15 PM…hmmm look at that, they are for today."

She found a card case in his front pocket, removed a card and read it out loud.

Mr. Walter Solabrini

Printer, Typesetter

Mrs. Hudson put the card in her purse and put the card case and billfold back in Mr. Solabrini's pockets.

"Wait," she thought, "why did I keep a card?"

She paused and thought a brief moment, then she spied a semi-crumpled paper bag that was lying at the dead man's feet. She picked it up, straightened it out and looked inside. There were still a few bread crumbs inside.

"Look, Ellie, he was feeding the birds of course, but it looked as if he died before he finished."

"Do you think it was his heart, Martha?"

"I don't know El, but look at him, he looks no more than 30."

Mrs. Hudson absently looked at the gentleman, and around the bench, then she remembered the discussions she had witnessed between Mr. Holmes and the Doctor, or else one of the Inspectors, while she cleaned up, or brought in a tea service: discussions about crime scenes. Mr. Holmes was always going on about evidence, and the police ruining the scene, and his need to examine every little thing for meaning.

She froze.

"Ellie, don't move."

Then Martha started to look around the dead man's body and noticed that the pavement ended behind the bench and that there were heavy boot prints in the stiff mud directly behind the bench. It appeared that someone large stood behind the where Mr. Solabrini was sitting.

"Good Lord above Ellie, I believe that this man was murdered," said Mrs. Hudson is a voice just above a whisper.

The women looked at one another, the signs of surprise painted all over Ellie Buckley's face, while Martha's expression failed to betray her emotions.

"Look at this Martha, he's got something in his hand" stammered Ellie.

Martha walked around to the front of the bench and looked at Mr. Solabrini's hands and noticed that there was a tuft of brown hair clutched in his left fist. She bent down and looked more closely and could clearly see a knot of brown hair clutched in the dead man's hand. His fingers tips had blotchy black stains.

For some unknown reason, she reached out to touch the hair then stopped as she noticed that she still had the bird crumb-bag still in her hand. Call it intuition, but Martha decided to take a closer look at the bag and noted no markings on the outside, so she opened up the slightly crumpled bag to look inside. There, amidst the remaining breadcrumbs was a slip of paper! She took it out of the bag and unfolded it; there was handwriting on it!

"What is that Martha?"

"It's a note, actually its a slip, but it has handwriting on the backside. It says: 'Till tonight my Love' and it is signed off with a single initial - an 'L.'"

"Is the slip completed?" asked Ellie with a voice now full of enthusiasm.

"No, but if I am not mistaken, it is from Parklane Bakery." Martha held up the slip and showed Ellie a small Fleur-de-lis logo, then placed it back into the bag, and returned the bag to its rightful spot on the ground.

So this is what it must be like for Mr. Holmes she thought; summoned to places where the dead waited, and then looking over their bodies, searching for clues… for reasons.

Martha admired Mr. Holmes and the Doctor immensely, as she did the men of Scotland Yard. All the stories about the crimes and unusual situations the two men have solved, and the experiments, and the comings and goings of the hopeful. It was as if she was living inside a book, a fiction, but it was not a story, not a fairy tale. It was real. Still, it never really seemed real, until now.


	3. Chapter 3 Breadcrumbs

Chapter 3, Breadcrumbs

The shrill sound of a bobby's whistle broke the spell. Martha and Ellie turned and saw the two boys previously dispatched running towards them with a constable in tow. They arrived on scene thirty seconds later, with the heavy-set policeman red-faced and out of breath.

"Well done boys!" said Ellie, as she handed each of them a pence.

The bobby took a deep breath, placed his hands on his hips, looked at the dead gentleman, then at the two women and said: "right, what's all this then?"

The two ladies explained the entire situation to the constable, who examined the dead gentleman, then stepped away and summoned additional officers via his whistle. Within the hour, Inspector Whitmore arrived, and the ladies had to recount the entire episode again, pointing out the evidence they had discovered. The Inspector grunted his acknowledgment at their observations and started to examine the scene himself. Since no one told them to leave, they just decided to stay and watch.

It turns out that the gentleman bird-feeder was strangled with a narrow gauge cord or rope, and that the suspect stood directly behind him as Mrs. Hudson had deduced. After a time, Martha asked the Inspector if they could leave, which he granted with a casual wave of his hand. They quietly walked back towards Marylebone Street, each contemplating the strange events of their afternoon.

"Martha, do you think that we should go to the bakery?" tentatively asked Ellie.

"Whatever for?" was the surprised response from her friend.

"Well, to find out who "L" is and see if we can save her from some distress," stated Ellie.

Martha stopped walking and looked at Ellie.

"Ellie Buckley, this was a murder, and the police are now on the job, and I doubt very much if that Inspector Whitmore would want busy-body widows sniffing about in his investigation."

Ellie looked as if she was reprimanded by her mother and told that she will not be allowed to attend a party on Saturday. Then, she looked up at Martha with an expression that only the forbidden can muster after concocting a plan to attain something prohibited.

"Martha dear, I should have thought that your frequent contact with Mr. Holmes would have girded up your loins for adventure!" She looked at her timepiece that was pinned to her coat lapel.

Martha started to object; however, Ellie quickly held up a hand to silence her, and then she continued.

"Now, let's examine the facts as they say. The gentleman, Mr. Solabrini was murdered, but he had a wallet with over 50 pounds that was left untouched."

Martha looked at her friend and admitted to herself that she was curious, it was not as if they were going to solve this heinous crime, but were merely attempting to satisfy their curiosity.

"Well Mrs. Buckley, it appears that Mr. Solabrini was not murdered for his money, in other words, it was not a robbery," stated Martha confidently now that she had decided to play along.

"Exactly! He has a great amount of money on his person, and he has two train tickets for an outbound train today!"

"Yes, he is fleeing with someone…" started Martha.

"His love!" exclaimed Ellie.

"Yes, whoever "L" is - perhaps she works at the bakery?" quickly replied Martha.

"She meant for the note to be a surprise, I am sure of it. No doubt, if Mr. Solabrini had found it, he would have placed it in his pocket and not back into a bag that he was going to discard."

The two ladies continued to walk down Marylebone, each momentarily lost in their own thoughts.

"It's going on three O'Clock now," stated Ellie with the finality of a train conductor announcing the next stop.

"Ellie, I feel a craving for a tart," said Martha with a sly smile.

At that, Ellie turned toward the busy street and began to wave for a cab. In short order, a Hansom answered their call, and a cabbie who looked just a boy was asking "where to ladies?"

"Do you know Parklane Bakery?"


	4. Chapter 4 Uncertainties

Chapter 4, Uncertanties

Outside the bakery, Martha asked the cabbie to please wait for them, they would not be a minute. He tipped his cap and put his whip down across the roof of the cab. The two curious ladies walked into the bakery.

In less than fifteen minutes they walked back outside with two small packages of rolled paper and a bit of new information. Their loyal cab driver was patiently waiting where they left him, so Ellie reached up and handed him one of their packages: "that is a strawberry tart for you my good man, and we need you to take us to St. Pancras Station at the quick."

The cabbie was making good time, and the ride was bumpy. Martha listened to the horse's steel shoes thump the pavement, and she matched the noise to the pounding of her heart.

"Martha… I say, Martha, are you listening to me?"

Mrs. Hudson snapped back to the present, as she was called back into focus by the sound of insistence in Ellie's voice.

"Yes, El… I am sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, here we have a man murdered but money does not seem to be the motive, so in my mind only love, or revenge could crowd out the Queen's coin as motivation… what do you think?"

Mrs. Hudson paused and thought about Ellie's statement; it was true what she proposed, about motive, except that revenge and love could be intertwined, or two sides of the same coin. She hesitantly started thinking out loud as she tried to collect and organize what they knew about the killing.

"Mr. Holmes is always saying that you have to 'reason backward' if you are to solve a crime. So, we must follow what we know in reverse. We know the poor bird-feeder was leaving today with his love Laura. We know it was a sudden decision, as her workmates said that Laura unexpectedly gave notice this morning. We know Mr. Solabrini was murdered in daylight, in the middle of the park, and was not robbed of his valuables. It would seem that the murderer acted to prevent Mr. Solabrini and Laura's departure."

"Unless it's an awful coincidence'" replied Ellie.

Martha looked at Ellie and nodded her acknowledgment. They best not try and be too clever, they were not detectives and certainly were not Mr. Holmes.

The sights and smells of London either flew past the cab or else struck them dead on: horses, manure, sulfur, smoke, and humanity.

"Still, we don't know how the murderer found out about the lover's plan to flee," said Ellie with appropriate gravitas.

"No, but if this is about love, then perhaps he will show himself here at the train station" replied Martha as the Hansom pulled to a stop outside St. Pancras.

The train station was a loud, bustling place, as throngs of travelers, well-wishers and workers were all bent on going, arriving or assisting those who wished to do one or another. The two women found the train platform marked on the tickets and decided to wait and watch.

"I suspect, she will be young, simply dressed and carrying only a bag or two," said Martha, as they scanned the platform for a woman who met her assumption. It was almost four o'clock when Ellie spotted a young brunette who matched Martha's guess to a tee. The young lady walked along the platform and took up a position away from the tracks and towards the newsstand. She set her carpet bag, and small valise down and anxiously looked up and down the platform. She was looking for someone, or more specifically, she was waiting for someone.

"There Martha, that girl in the navy dress… by the newsstand."

Martha located the girl and clutched Ellie's arm in excitement.

But now what to do, thought Martha. Should they go talk to her? Was it their role to tell her the truth and dash all her dreams?

Then Martha saw him; a man was standing back away from the platform, to the rear of the newsstand. He appeared to be watching the woman they supposed to be Laura. He was a large man, wearing a simple cloth cap and a workman's clothes with his collar turned up. He held out an open newspaper but was looking over the top of it towards Laura. There was something sinister about his bearing, about his look.

Martha tugged at Ellie's sleeve and having gained her attention, nodded towards the man. She cautiously glanced over towards the newspaper-man and then back at Martha. Ellie's expression betrayed her immediate suspicion.

The time was now ten after four, and it became apparent that Laura's anxiety was reaching a pitch level as she was repetitiously looking up at the station clock, and then back and forth down the platform. Her eyes were searching for her companion in increasing worry.

Martha was struck by the sadness and pending finality of the melancholy scene as it played out before her. The young woman was nervously looking for a love who would never arrive; her increasing anxiety as she dismissed his absence as the result of a slow cab. Then, confusion and disbelief, as the conductor called out final boarding and the train coughed up its great clouds of steam. Finally, grief and horror as the train pulls away and she realizes that he is not coming: but why?

It was the not knowing that gave birth to the horror. People's ability to either engage in the fancy of beautiful outcomes or build the monsters of their fears, are the only certainties in uncertainty.

Ellie looked at Martha, her eyes glistening with empathy for the poor girl. Martha knew what Ellie was about to do, and she took a firm grasp of El's wrist to prevent her from going to Laura.

When Ellie had received the bad news of the sinking of her husband's ship, and that no survivors were recovered, she stubbornly refused to believe the news. His body was never recovered. She remained in a state of denial for two years, as she firmly believed he had survived and was going to come home to her. Ellie understood the shock of loss and that hope can be a sentence.

Laura remained at the platform after the train had departed the station. She looked around as a child waiting for a parent to give her guidance; in fact, she was lost, as the road to happiness so gaily run down this afternoon, had been snatched away and she was left standing in an unknown and hostile land.

Hesitantly, she reached down, picked up her two bags and started back down the platform from whence she had come. And as inevitably as night follows day, the man with the newspaper tucked his paper under his arm and started walking after her.

Martha started out behind him, initially dragging Ellie along until El caught on as to what they were now doing.

Young Laura mechanically walked out to Euston Road and stood at the omnibus stand as the newspaper-man followed her from a distance. Martha and Ellie looked at one another as this was the moment of choice: contact the girl or follow the man?

New chapters to be added shortly!


	5. Chapter 5 A Game for Ladies

Martha realized that Laura may know who the newspaper-man was and that she may be able to reveal his identity to the police; but, she and Ellie were not detectives. They were women who have each confronted the cold sting of loss that was waiting to ambush young Laura.

Suddenly, Martha could clearly see why fate had brought them to the station and this young woman's life; they were not here to solve the crime or take the place of Mr. Holmes, but they were here to aid this young girl!

"C'mon Ellie!" and Martha grabbed her friend's wrist and headed for the omnibus stand to catch Laura. The two women hustled up to the young lady's side, in full knowledge that the newspaper-man would be watching their actions.

"Good afternoon dear," said Mrs. Hudson to Laura as she placed her hand gently onto the young girls' shoulder.

Laura abruptly turned around and with a slightly startled expression looked at Mrs. Hudson, then at Mrs. Buckley. Her eyes were tear-filled, and her lip quivered, not in fear, but in sorrow.

"My name is Martha Hudson, and this is Ellie Buckley."

"Good afternoon Ma'am," was all that young Laura could muster as a reply.

"Please join us in a carriage my dear and allow us to take you wherever you require," continued Martha.

"We can see that you are upset, so please accept this act of charity from two strangers who only mean to offer you assistance," added Ellie, who smiled with reassurance and picked up one of Laura's bags.

"That is most kind, thank you, ladies," stammered Laura, who was gently guided away from the omnibus stand towards a location where they could hire a four-wheel carriage. A vacant carriage was waiting at the stand, so Ellie engaged the driver, passed over Laura's luggage, and was about to enter when she was interrupted.

"Excuse me, ladies, I will be taking this carriage with the young lady," said a man who seemed to appear out of nowhere. He stepped up and stood very close to Laura, and with his right hand, began to direct her into the waiting carriage. He was a gentleman, relatively tall and broad-shouldered, well-dressed in a frock coat and top hat, with longish brown hair, but clean shaven and handsome.

"Sir you are mistaken, this is our carriage…" replied a surprised Mrs. Hudson.

"Miss Linderguard, please get into the carriage, and no one will get hurt," and with that, the man displayed a small derringer style firearm in his left hand.

Laura saw the weapon and climbed into the carriage, and Ellie and Martha both froze in the face of a gentleman drawing a firearm on three women. The gentleman abductor was about to get into the carriage as well when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled back away from the vehicle.

Martha and Ellie looked on in utter disbelief as the "newspaper-man" was now wrestling with the gentleman and struggling to capture control of the firearm. The two men rolled around on the pavement as people began to stop and watch the disruption.

The carriage driver jumped down from his seat and grabbed at the two men in an attempt to separate them.

"That's it then lads, you let go of this gent you hear!" yelled the driver as Martha looked into that cab at Laura, who had turned towards the seat hiding her face.

Suddenly, a gun was discharged.

The crowd immediately jumped back, and the driver let go of the two men and fell backward onto his rear. There was a groan from one of the two men, and Martha wondered if the gentleman had shot the newspaper-man. Although strange and terrifying, she felt that there must be a reasonable explanation for this gentleman's behavior, and as for the newspaper-man, he clearly wanted to get to Laura. Perhaps to finish a deed of vengeance started this morning upon her fiancé?

The gentleman stood up quickly, firearm still in hand, and turned and ran away from the scene, leaving the three woman with the newspaper-man and a crowd of shocked Londoners.

Martha heard the tell-tale sound of a constable's whistle, as it appeared that several of them were now converging on the scene. She looked down at the newspaper-man and saw that he had been wounded by the gunshot, as he was holding his left side and a blood stain was on the pavement underneath him.

Martha looked for Ellie and saw that she was now in the carriage sitting next to Laura, and the two women were clutching each other in a tight embrace.

A tall constable burst through the crowd and began asking what's happened in a loud and quite stern tone.

"I believe that man on the ground has been shot," replied Martha.

The constable got onto a knee and asked the newspaper-man if he was shot and how is he doing?

"I'm Special Branch… in my coat…. pull my I.D." replied the newspaper-man.

The constable reached into the newspaper-man's coat and removed a small black billfold. When he opened it, Martha moved slightly adjusted her position and was able to see that the billfold contained a police identification card.

"Good Lord, the newspaper-man is a policeman!" thought Martha. "Then what was he doing following Laura?" she thought.


	6. Chapter 6 Press On

Chapter 6, Press On

After the police questioned the three women and the driver, he stated that he would be happy to drive the ladies anywhere they wished free of charge for having witnessed such a harrowing event.

They graciously accepted his generosity and quietly got into the carriage for the ride to Ellie Buckley's home. There was no explanation from the police as to why a member of the Special Branch seemed to be following Laura, or the possible identity of the gentleman abductor and his motive.

But one thing was clear: both men were very interested in Laura.

It had occurred to Martha that there was no mention of Laura's dead fiancé nor were the police particular interested in talking with Laura. Perhaps the Inspector was unaware of Mr. Solabrini's murder because it occurred in a different division's area. Still, whatever the reason, Laura did not know about the fate of her fiancé.

Looking across the carriage at Ellie and Laura, Martha was buttressed in her decision to help Laura and not to play detective. Allow Scotland Yard to do their work, and she and Ellie would provide what neither the police nor Mr. Holmes could, the empathy and consolation of experienced loss.

"My dear, we contacted you because we noticed you on the train platform and you seemed in some distress… you appeared to be waiting for someone…" stated Martha in a tone of real compassion.

"Yes, I was waiting for someone, but he did not show… something must have happened," replied Laura as she looked from Martha to Ellie and back; her hands were tightly clutching the bottom of her coat as it lay in her lap.

Martha looked across at Ellie and the two women, friends for so long, communicated a thought in that look. Martha knew what to do, and now she knew that Ellie agreed.

"My dear, we were not at the station by chance, we were looking for you," started Martha.

Laura looked at Martha with a hint of confusion.

"Your name is Laura, is it not, and you work at Parklane Bakery - correct?"

"Yes Ma'am, that is correct… have we met before? Are you a customer?"

"No my dear, we have not met before today. The man you were waiting for at the train station, did this belong to him?" and Martha removed Mr. Solabrini's business card from her coat and passed it to Laura.

The young lady looked at the card, then back at Mrs. Hudson in confusion, "yes, I was waiting for Walter, but how did you get his card, did he pass on a message to give to me? Who are you?" The initial blush of confusion had quickly been replaced by fear.

"Laura, we were out for a walk this morning in Regent Park when we came across Mr. Solabrini," began Martha with a quivering voice. There was no easy way to say this and no easy way for the listener to hear it; subtle or blunt, the facts will remain unaltered.

Ellie reached across and took Laura's hand, and the girl responded by squeezing it tight.

"We found him sitting on a bench, where he had been feeding the birds. He was dead."

"Dead? What do you mean he was dead?"

"He had been murdered, there in the park. There was nothing we could do, so we summoned the police… I found his card while checking on his condition."

"Murdered?" The young girl sat back against the carriage seat, with Ellie's hand gripped tightly. She whispered "murdered" over and over again as if the word was new and unfamiliar.

But "murdered" was one of the words in English that held no ambiguity, no uncertainty, no issues in translation. It meant someone was dead, and that the death was at the hands of another. That's all.

Tears were now freely running down Ellie's face.

The carriage came to a stop at Mrs. Buckley's residence, and young Laura was led inside by two women who had lost their loves but had learned to press-on, just as Laura must eventually learn to do.


	7. Chapter 7 What We Have Here Is?

Chapter 7, What We Have Here Is?

Martha and Ellie were in firm agreement that Laura was in danger, as the murderer somehow discovered Mr. Solabrini's plans and no-one could be sure what course of action he would take next. Ellie offered to send a carriage for Laura's family and have them brought to her, only to find out that Laura had no immediate family; she came to London with her Mother, who had died the previous year, so Laura lived with two girls who also worked at the bakery. Ellie convinced Laura to stay the evening, and they offered her as much comfort as possible.

The next day, Martha suggested to Ellie that they contact Inspector Whitmore, as he was probably looking for Laura, and they could advise him of the attempted abduction and the unlikely involvement of the Special Branch officer.

Laura slept late. She was in emotional shock after the news of Walter's murder and woke feeling fuzzy and separated from herself. She was relieved to find that Martha and Ellie gave her space in the morning. Ellie saw to Laura's tea then allowed her to breakfast in the quiet and of her room.

As she ate, Laura tried to come to grips with what happened and what she should do next. The decision to go to Nottingham was quite sudden and wasn't terribly well thought out, but Walter said that it was "time to go," and that it was "now or never." She didn't understand the urgency but wanted a life with Walter Solabrini, and his new position in Nottingham had promised just that.

It was late morning when Inspector Whitmore arrived at the Buckley home. He was not altogether pleased at being outpaced by two older women who discovered and located Solabrini's fiancé first. His displeasure was as obvious as the striped "duty band" a constable wore on their left sleeve.

First, Martha filled in the Inspector regarding the previous day's event at the train station. Whitmore was not a "sharp knife," but even he could see that the Special Branch Officer's presence and actions were more than pure coincidence. It was the sudden involvement of the gentleman abductor that really complicated things for Whitmore: were his actions random, or had he been targeting the girl? Or was he involved in Solabrini's murder?

The Inspector spent half an hour speaking with Laura about Mr. Solabrini and his friends, his work, the places he frequented, and any enemies who may be motivated enough to murder him. Ultimately, the Inspector ran out of questions, as the late Mr. Solabrini appeared to be a "capitol saint" who worked at a print shop and saw Ms. Lindergaurd as often as possible. His biggest vices were that he liked football and worked very long hours.

Whitmore was vexed, as the murder appeared to be personally motivated and not a simple robbery. Love? Vengeance? He was uncertain, but he agreed that young Laura Linderguard could be in danger as well.

"Ms. Linderguard, I am going to recommend that you extend your stay here at Mrs. Buckley's home - that is if that is alright with Mrs. Buckley?" said the Inspector as he cast a glance over at Ellie, who responded by nodding her consent.

Laura looked from the Inspector to Martha and Ellie, who each simply nodded and gave brave smiles to the young girl.

"Very well Inspector, if you feel that I would be safe here, only I do not want to overextend my stay and become a burden to Mrs. Buckley's generosity."

"Right, it's settled then, and I'll contact you here if we capture the killer or have any additional questions," replied Whitmore as he donned his bowler, nodded to the ladies and saw himself out.


	8. Chapter 8 Tea, Cakes, and Detectives

Chapter 8, Tea, Cakes, and Detectives

Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson were due back in London this afternoon, and Martha wondered if they would be interested in hearing about the events fate had cast before her and Ellie. The day rolled into afternoon and Laura had remained inside her room and had kept to herself since the Inspector's visit. Martha decided to return to Baker Street and to speak with Mr. Holmes and the Doctor.

Upon her return home, Mrs. Hudson freshened up and changed clothes, then began to bake some scones and tarts in anticipation of the return of the two men.

At approximately three O'Clock she heard the front door open and the familiar voices of Holmes and Watson as they clamored up the stairs to Sherlock's flat. She was restless, excited, and could hardly restrain herself from immediately running up the stairs after them, but she started some tea and drank a quick glass of sherry (kept in the kitchen for purely medicinal purposes). Now, armed with a full tea tray, Mrs. Hudson walked up the stairs to speak with her lodger, who happened to be the greatest detective in England.

Holmes and Watson were happy to see Mrs. Hudson and were overjoyed at her timely serving of tea and tarts. She politely asked about their trip, and they laughed as Mr. Holmes gave a brief recount of their adventure. Martha smiled but lingered, not sure how to approach the subject.

"Mrs. Hudson, I detect that you have something you wish to discuss with either myself or the Doctor, or perhaps with the both of us," stated Holmes rather succinctly.

Martha took a deep breath and replied that she did have something important to present. This was out of character for her, and her anxiety was clearly visible, so the Doctor offered her a chair and bade her to tell her story.

Starting with her tea with Ellie, Martha gave the two men a full account of the events of the previous day and took care to include every detail and observation she could recall. She concluded with Inspector Whitmore's visit that morning. Holmes and Watson sat in rapt silence as the tale was voiced by the housekeeper. Holmes never interrupted, but once the murder was described, he changed his position in his chair, drawing his legs up and propping his feet upon the edge of the chair. Then he closed his eyes and remained that way until the tale was told.

When she was finished, Martha sat quietly with her hands folded in her lap and watched Mr. Holmes.

After a minute or so, Sherlock opened his eyes, stood up and began to pace about the room.

"Mrs. Hudson, I must say that you are a miracle of surprise and humility!" he suddenly proclaimed.

Doctor Watson smiled as he looked over at Martha Hudson who simply turned red, but smiled inwardly.

"You did exceedingly well - exceedingly well - in shocking and dangerous circumstances. This is a dangerous case Watson, and I suspect Moriarty to be behind it all."

The Doctor's smile quickly fell somber at the mention of the Professor, and he knew that he would not be returning home to his wife this afternoon, as Holmes would require his assistance.

"Mrs. Hudson, you are to return to Mrs. Buckley's and remain there until we arrive later - what is her address?"

And with that, Martha made preparations to return to Ellie's home as Holmes and Watson grabbed their hats and coats and ran for a cab. The last thing Sherlock Holmes did before they left Baker Street was to retrieve his revolver.


	9. Chapter 9 Frauds and Fellowship

Chapter 9, Frauds and Fellowship

Laura had decided to join Martha and Ellie for dinner, then had remained downstairs afterward as her spirits had been lifted by the involvement of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. As the young woman seemed intrigued by Holmes, Martha kept her and Ellie entertained with tales of life with the famous detective. It was half nine when the bell rang, and a soaking wet Holmes and Watson were admitted to the parlor. After their outerwear was collected and introductions were made, Ellie ordered tea for the group, but Sherlock requested a glass of whiskey for himself and Watson first.

"Mrs. Hudson, your account his afternoon led me to deduce certain facts about the departed Mr. Solabrini, but I had to confirm these and then follow the evidence. Miss Linderguard, some of what I about to say you will no doubt find shocking, so I must apologize up front."

Martha glanced over at the young woman who was sitting calmly looking at Mr. Holmes.

"First, I went to see Inspector Whitmore at Hamstead and was able to confirm that the 50 pounds found in Mr. Solabrini's wallet were in fact counterfeit. The dull Inspector was shocked to learn that little piece of critical evidence."

"Counterfeit, you mean it was fake?" asked Miss Linderguard. "How could that be Mr. Holmes, how did Walter get fake money?"

Holmes held up a single finger as he glanced at Miss Linderguard and continued his narrative.

"With that evidence, Whitmore was able to obtain a warrant for the shop where Solabrini was employed, at which we discovered thousands of counterfeit pounds hidden in containers under the floor, along with the required inks and dyes needed to print the monies."

"What are you saying Mr. Holmes, that Walter printed the counterfeit money, that he was a crook?" replied Miss Linderguard who was now becoming visibly upset.

"Unfortunately, that is exactly right Miss Linderguard, Walter Solabrini was a talented printer, and he was a participant in a large-scale counterfeit operation. But, it appeared that Mr. Solabrini did not want to spend his life in that world, so he planned to flee to Nottingham with you, and that was the reason for the sudden nature of the trip."

"But Solabrini's boss answered to a higher authority, a man who is the ruthless king of the London underworld, a certain Professor Moriarty. I believe that Solabrini had mistakenly taken someone at the shop into his confidence and thus the word got back to Moriarty who had your finance killed."

The three women sat stone-still, as the backstory of what Martha and Ellie had stumbled upon, and the type of man Laura was engaged to marry shocked them all.

"The man who attempted to abduct you yesterday Miss Linderguard was Colonel Sebastian Moran, whom I believe was also the man who killed Solabrini."

"But the newspaper-man, I mean, the Special Branch Officer, who was following Laura and stopped the man's attempted abduction, was that chance?" asked Martha.

"Not at all Mrs. Hudson, it seems that the Special Branch were on to the counterfeiters and had been secretly following both Solabrini and Miss Linderguard for days. But, the officer assigned to watch Solabrini lost him in a crowd and thus failed to witness the murder."

"Why me?" asked Laura.

"Because there was a possibility that you acted as a go-between or a courier for the counterfeiters, but that theory has now been dismissed," replied Holmes.

Thus, it was all laid bare, and all their questions were answered. Holmes and Watson finished their tea and bade the ladies good night. The ladies sat up for a bit longer before Laura decided to retire, then Ellie asked Martha to sit up a bit longer since she was so excited by the unexpected visit of Mr. Holmes. Martha just smiled, as she had heard Mr. Holmes' explanations in the past and understood Ellie's excitement.

Eventually, Laura Linderguard left Ellie's home for the familiar confines of her old flat and even returned to the bakery and her former position. It seems that the trial experienced by the three women bound them in friendship, as Laura, Ellie, and Martha would continue to meet for tea or luncheon.

Back at Baker Street, things returned to a state of normalcy as the Doctor's visits once again became scarce as his practice slowly increased, and Mr. Holmes continued to be visited by a wide variety of persons all seeking his assistance.

Several weeks had passed, and Dr. Watson was at Baker Street visiting when Mrs. Hudson brought up a pot of coffee that the men had requested.

"Mrs. Hudson, your attention and skill are beyond reproach," said Sherlock as he raised his teacup in salute. A gesture immediately copied by the smiling Doctor. Martha Hudson was rather unused to such spontaneous compliments from Mr. Holmes, so she smiled and gave a slight curtsy.

"So, how would you feel about accompanying the Doctor and I this afternoon as we investigate a small problem that has been put before me?"

Mrs. Hudson stood looking at Mr. Holmes in disbelief. She blinked and looked at the Doctor.

"You have some insights that I feel may be of value in this particular case," stated Holmes in a tone that was unmistakably serious.

Once she realized that Mr. Holmes was serious and wasn't teasing her, she paused and thought how exciting it might be to participate in one of Mr. Holmes and the Doctor's adventures.

But if nothing else, Martha Hudson was a sensible woman.

"No Sir, I think I am better off here at Baker Street and restrict myself to investigating new recipes and leave murder and investigations to you and Dr. Watson."

At this, Holmes and Watson smiled at one another, and then at Martha Hudson.

"But if you are ever in a bind and can't seem to solve one of your cases, you know that I will lend a helping hand."

And at that, Holmes and Watson had a good laugh at Mrs. Hudson's quick wit. If they only knew that she wasn't joking.

END

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this story and thank you for the read and staying with it until the end! Please comment on what you enjoyed (or didn't) to help me improve as a writer and create additonal stories in the ACD Sherlock Holmes world.


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